McKeon vows to keep Gitmo open

The new Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee may have succeeded in nearly crippling President Barack Obama’s plan to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but he’s ready to move quickly to thwart any new moves by the administration.

“One thing I’ve learned here in Washington in my 18 years … some things are never over,” California Rep. Buck McKeon told reporters Tuesday. “When we hear about potential statements, or other things that may be done, we need to keep on top of the issue.”

Text Size

-

+

reset

POLITICO 44

McKeon and others succeeded during the lame-duck congressional session last month in adding a provision to the defense authorization bill that would ban the transfer of detainees from the prison in Cuba to United States. But when Obama, who nearly two years ago pledged to shutter the controversial detention facility for suspected terrorists, signed the bill into law, he attached a “signing statement” vowing to work with Congress to try to repeal the provision or prevent it from applying once the bill expires on Sept. 30.

So McKeon and House Republicans are responding in kind, trying to get out front on their messaging and considering new legislation to block Obama in his efforts to close the prison.

“We will look to see if he comes out with any new statements, and we will react accordingly,” McKeon s0aid.

During last week’s congressional pause in the wake of the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and others, McKeon rounded up 10 members of his committee for a one-day tour of the Guantanamo Bay facility. He’s also vowing to make sure that all of the members of the committee take a trip there.

Seemingly to adhere to a new mood of congressional civility, Republicans who came back skipped any fiery rhetoric in favor of praising the staff and facilities at the prison.

Rep. Bobby Schilling, an incoming Republican freshman whose congressional district is next to the Thompson, Ill., prison facility floated as an alternative to Guantanamo, said the trip reaffirmed his commitment to keep the detainees in Cuba. From what he saw, he said detainees appeared to be treated well; they can read in a library, watch television and play soccer.

“It’s nothing compared to what it tends to get painted here in the states,” Schilling said.

Readers' Comments (6)

Never lose sight that the Bush-Cheney nitwit neo-con artist regime circumvented the Constitution in order to place Gitmo outside the US to avoid having to apply the rule of law to their situation. It is not surprising that the Administration not only lied about WMD in Iraq but lied about the nature of the Gitmo prisioners calling them "the worst of the worst," when, in fact many were low ranking Al Queda or Taliban or not involved at all. The majority of inmates were not captured on the battlefield but through paid bounties which allowed the mujahadeen et al to get rid of enemies, competitors, or even old scores for profit as has been since been shown through following up released inmates. Many, instead, became hardcore following the kidnapping, torture, and brutal treatment with recourse to an attorney, their families, or outside help.

Over 100 inmates have died in prisons both secret and known around the globe from Europe to Egypt, Iraq, etc. There are thousands still held in Iraq, etc. without trials or hearings. Thanks to the torture, giving these people a fair hearing makes closing Gitmo difficult. Bush-Cheney themselves should visit Gitmo. God will certainly remember what they did and to America's moral standing in the world while multiplying America's enemies a thousand-fold. For prespective, there were only 250 Al Queda, based upon FBI estimates, at the time of the 911 bombings. The FBI estimates there are still only around 250 Al Queda in Afghanistan. Therefore, Al Queda has made up less than eight percent of America's combat enemies. The rest had nothing to do with 911 and the key players like bin Laden are still at large. The Bush war on terrorism was a failure morally, militarily and financially.

Never lose sight that the Bush-Cheney nitwit neo-con artist regime circumvented the Constitution in order to place Gitmo outside the US to

GITMO has always been in the extreme southeastern part of Cuba as far as can be ascertained. You mean it was somewhere else before Bush? Amazing...

lied about the nature of the Gitmo prisioners calling them "the worst of the worst," when, in fact many were low ranking Al Queda or Taliban or not involved at all. The majority of inmates were not captured on the battlefield but through paid bounties which allowed the mujahadeen et al to get rid of enemies, competitors, or even old scores for profit as has been since been shown through following up released inmates. Many, instead, became hardcore following the kidnapping, torture, and brutal treatment with recourse to an attorney, their families, or outside help.

Your sympathy for these terrorists is rather disturbing.....and the recidivism of the ones already released --- not the hardest core ones still remaining -- is estimated to be over 25% confirmed or suspected returning to the battlefield according to Obama's DNI, Gen Clapper.

hallaquila: Jan. 18, 2011 - 4:40 PM EST

The Bush war on terrorism was a failure morally, militarily and financially.

Yet your hero Obama has doubled down in Afghanistan --- with Bush's General, no less --- and can't seem to get the prison facilities at Guantanamo Bay closed for some reason. Oh yeah --- nobody wants these guys in the States. Not GOP. Not Dems. Nobody.

Obama will never close Gitmo. He knows the uproar from concerned Americans would utterly doom his rapidly fading chances for re-election in 2012. It is all blather and gas for consumption by his nut-root fringy followers.

OldBold: I was referring to the creation of the Gitmo prison not the military base. Serve in the military yourself? You provided no facts to contradict anything reported. I have sympathy for human rights, doing the right thing, rather than the war games of a bunch of neo-con chicken hawk Republicans abusing their authority. Remember, it is "One nation under God." As even McCain pointed out, "It is not about who they are but who we are" regarding torture which has occurred at all military prisons housing combatants from Bagram AFB to the documented AbuGraeb abuses to the documented abuses at Gitmo that even turned off the FBI and CIA not to mention the various secret prisons and contract torture in other countries. All in all, spin all you want, it was and continues to be a shameful practice that not only failed to produce substantial results (even produced false info used to justify our senseless invasion of Iraq) but was/is used as a propaganda tool for our jihidist enemies.

We have prosecuted and locked up terrorists in US maximum security prisons with no escape. We have kept serial killers and high profile political prisoners like Panama Gen. Noreiga (Reagan's Iran-Contra ally) locked up for decades. He has yet to be able to tell his US-CIA connections. The first NY Trade Center bombers were prosecuted and jailed including the high profile Blind Shiek. As the Obama Administration has stated there is a new max security prison in Ill. ready along with others. There is no logical or security reason not to bring these prisoners, many jailed for over five years without a hearing. What is holding up the matter, besides politics, is the fact that most were tortured which in a honest court would make long-term convictions difficult, plus the US would be embarassed if the world not only knew about the torture in detail but how flimsey or non-existant the evidence against many of these men were. Yes, I am all for going after our enemies, particularly those that pose a national threat, but those in prison are few. Rationally, even a low-level player brutalized in prison (like many of America's inmates) would come out worse than they went in.

Until America closes Gitmo and other prisons and prosecutes these people, there will be no hope of making inroads into turning back the negative, anti-Americanism fostered by the Bush Administration. That Americans don't want these remaining prisoners in America should have little bearing on the security issue. As to Afghanistan, President Obama was left with a bad situation of years of Bush failure in Afghanistan. To simply pull out would be a repeat of what happened under Nixon's joke of a "Peace Through Honor" in Vietnam in which the country quickly fell; thousands of US supporters were left to be killed and other raging killers like Pol Pot that emerged because of Nixon's expanded war into Laos and Cambodia murdered millions (5 million souls died during the SE Asia conflict).

Obama at least put an end to the overt torture and clearly stated that the tactics used under Bush were illegal and will not be used; greatly reduced the troops in Iraq; and finally some progress is being made in Afghanistan. At least the majority do not hate America; the opposite of the Soviets. Frankly, we should never have invaded but concentrated on Al Queda our actual enemy (estimated by FBI at 250 on 911) rather than multiplying our enemies a thousand-fold. As to the GOP's investigator Issa, how about going back over the violations of the law under Bush-Cheney? Let America know what they did nationally and globally for political reasons and greed and bring them to justice. The Bush-Cheney disasterous legacy will be felt for generations, Gitmo is just symbolic of the abuse of Presidential power.

The truth, Gitmo is an excellent prison. We went there for the trial of Al-Buhlul back in Nov. 2008. he was found guilt, and recieved life in prison. Our son was one of the 17 sailors murdered by AQ in 2000.

I have seen state prisons, and federal prisons in my line of work. They don't hold a candle to Gitmo!Gitmo is like a resort. Its really unbelieveable how the terrorists are treated.(very well) Their every whim is catered too.

No matter what I say though my liberal friends still refuse to believe me though. The place is Grand Central Station too. Reporters comming and going. I hope they do keep it open, and wish they would restart the Military Tribunals(with-out Obamas Enhanced Rules to protect the Terrorists.)

But we, the families of the real victims don't have organizations like the ACLU, and other groups to lobby for us. We have to hire our own lawyers, and fight for years to get any kind of justice. And that Justice is always connected to politics, no matter who is president.

The truth, Gitmo is an excellent prison. We went there for the trial of Al-Buhlul back in Nov. 2008. he was found guilt, and recieved life in prison. Our son was one of the 17 sailors murdered by AQ in 2000.

I have seen state prisons, and federal prisons in my line of work. They don't hold a candle to Gitmo!Gitmo is like a resort. Its really unbelieveable how the terrorists are treated.(very well) Their every whim is catered too.

No matter what I say though my liberal friends still refuse to believe me though. The place is Grand Central Station too. Reporters comming and going. I hope they do keep it open, and wish they would restart the Military Tribunals(with-out Obamas Enhanced Rules to protect the Terrorists.)

But we, the families of the real victims don't have organizations like the ACLU, and other groups to lobby for us. We have to hire our own lawyers, and fight for years to get any kind of justice. And that Justice is always connected to politics, no matter who is president.